Purdue prof now winner of 3-straight nights on Jeopardy!

The Exponent met with Adriana Harmeyer in the Stewart Center, where she works on the fourth floor as an archivist of Purdue University history. She chatted about her experience on the game show Jeopardy! after winning in the first two episodes she was in.

What was it like on Jeopardy!?

It was amazing. It was really fun and exciting. I’m so glad I got to go do it.

So your second episode of Jeopardy! released last night. When were you actually in their building for filming?

I went out in early April.

How did you become a participant in Jeopardy!?

I first took an online test last summer, like many months ago. They have it online anytime. Anyone can just go take it. You go to the Jeopardy! Website.

You can take the Jeopardy! Anytime Test. I didn’t expect to hear anything back, but I eventually did. A little bit of time went by and I was invited to do a Zoom audition.

They had a bunch of people who passed the online test together on Zoom. We played the game online and employees from Jeopardy! were talking to people.

After that, I got the call to actually go on the show.

When you took the online Jeopardy! Anytime Test, were you aware of the chance they could contact you to be on the show?

Yes, I knew it was possible, but I also knew a lot of people took the test. They don’t call back everybody, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

Where were you when you got contacted to do the Zoom audition? Did you tell anybody?

I was at home. I told my husband and I told some of my family that I was going to do an online audition. They weren’t even surprised since I took the test once before. I thought ‘Okay, I’m probably not going to make it to the next step because it’s really competitive.’ I just wanted to have fun with it.

What was the Zoom audition like?

They made it like a game show. They put up a (jeopardy) board on the screen and they asked you to hold a ballpoint pen so it felt like clicking a buzzer. I don’t remember exactly how many people were there but a lot of other people were auditioning.

Ken Jennings wasn’t at the audition just the production team who coordinated all the tests.

So what happens after the Zoom audition?

Then you just wait. You’re just waiting on the list. I think the deadline they gave us was that they’d contact us within 18 months.

That is a very long time.

So, I did the Zoom interview last summer several months ago. I didn’t expect to hear anything back from them because so much time went by.

When I first got told I would be on the show, it was at the beginning of March. So I was waiting for several months, and then I only had a few weeks between March and April. There were about six weeks between getting that call and being on Jeopardy!

I got a text and a phone call in the evening; I was at home with my husband.

Is your husband into Jeopardy! and trivia too?

Yeah, maybe not as much as I am though. But we watched Jeopardy! together and played trivia games together. Especially once I got that call. After that, we were watching it every day. It was really exciting.

What was his reaction like when you got the call?

He was very supportive. He knew it was something I wanted to do, so he was just as happy as I was.

We definitely wanted to celebrate, but it also took a minute to let it sink in. Like, did that happen? Did I really just get that phone call? Yeah, it’s happening!

Then after that, you had six weeks to prepare?

Yeah, and make travel plans to get time off of work. Then, we flew into California in the Los Angeles area the night before. I settled into a hotel and made sure I had everything in order so that in the morning, I could just focus on going into the studio and doing the show.

How do you prepare for something like Jeopardy!?

It’s really hard since they ask questions about everything. I decided to prepare just by watching a lot of Jeopardy!. I felt like I was pretty good at trivia, but I wanted to make sure I knew how Jeopardy! specifically worked to get into the rhythm of it all.

When you were about to go on television, did they take you into a makeup room beforehand?

Yeah, they did hair and makeup touch-ups on everybody. TV makeup is very different from everyday makeup. That took about 15 minutes.

What were you thinking during that?

I was just trying not to think too much because like at that point, you’re there. You can’t do any more prep.

I made sure to do what I was told. I put my microphone on and stood where I was told, and was just trying to stay on top of everything. It was just happening so quickly.

There was an audience, but I was able to tune them out.

How did it feel once you finally won?

It was amazing. I did what you would hope to do. It was fun to go and I would’ve been glad I got to play even if I had never won anything. It was wonderful!

Then, after you became the champion, they brought the new contestants in for the second episode that would air. Was there any time for your victory to sink in?

Not much. You just go off stage and change your clothes because you have to wear a different outfit in each episode.

So, there’s not a lot of time between episodes to stop and think. Maybe that’s for the best.

So, when that first episode aired, you had a watch party for it?

I celebrated with my coworkers in the Purdue Libraries. They coordinated a watch party. I got to see it with a bunch of friends that I work with. They were so excited.

What were their reactions like?

It was great. They would clap and cheer when I came on the screen.

Did that embarrass you?

A little. I knew going in that I would have to see myself on TV and be the center of attention, but it was for a good thing. So, I’m grateful that everyone else was so excited.

Did they know you were going to win on your first episode?

Nobody knew until it aired. I kept it secret.

It was a little hard to keep it secret, but it was also kind of fun. I knew that by keeping it secret, everybody would get to enjoy it in the moment.

I got so many messages from family and friends that night. It was great!

Since our interview, Harmeyer won her third night of competition. Her fourth night will air Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on CBS.